“It’s alright Curtis. You’re coming home buddy. You’re coming home today.”
Ruxs stared wide-eyed at his partner as he calmly talked Curtis down. Talked until he wasn’t afraid anymore. He’d seen Green upset plenty. Seen him arrest murderers. Seen him restrain even the craziest S.O.B.s. Seen him shoot and kill. But never had he seen him this angry. Green was so fired up, Ruxs doubted his partner even knew what he’d just said.
He’d heard it though, and Curtis did too. The way the young man stiffened then relaxed in Ruxs’ arms proved it.
Green called Curtis his son. And he was ready to go to war for him, like any good father would.
Home Sweet Home
Green rode in the back with Curtis while Ruxs drove them back to his place. Curtis was exhausted, and understandably so. All in one evening he’d lost his mom, been yanked away from the only family he had, and thrown into the Bates Motel with the Children of the Corn. Forced to stay in a closet for hours with no food, no water. He was weak and surely dehydrated. Green wanted to take him to the hospital but Ruxs had said it wasn’t necessary, that Curtis just needed some peace and plenty of sleep in a place where he knew he was safe.
Green didn’t think he’d ever prayed harder in his life than he did today. If he wasn’t convinced before, he sure as hell was today: his lieutenants were a force to be reckoned with. When they arrived in eight Suburbans with sirens wailing, and God, Day and Syn walked menacingly up to that house with all twenty members of their team, like they were the brute squad, that house mother practically threw herself at the mercy of the law. Although she wasn’t charged criminally, she was no longer assigned to that group home and was suspended without pay while under administrative review. Shelia was able to allow Green to sign Curtis out of his foster home with a forty-eight hour pass. By then his temporary placement order should be in effect, so he was good with this.
As soon as they got in the house, Green’s mom rushed up to Curtis, pulling him away from Green and into her arms. She cried silent tears as she led him upstairs to his new room. “I’ll take care of Curtis honey, don’t worry.”
Green watched from the bottom of his stairs, desperately wanting to follow them, but he knew there was nothing like a mother’s love. It could be exactly what Curtis needed right now. He waited until they’d disappeared before he turned and hung his coat in the closet and walked farther into his home. He looked around for a second. It was squeaky clean. The wooden floor gleamed like new. Every piece of furniture, pillow, appliance, was in its appropriate place. All the workout equipment that had been in the upstairs room was set back up and situated neatly in the alcove behind the staircase. He was going to have to do something really special for all the members of his team, his mom, his friends; just everyone that came through and helped him and Curtis.
He smiled for the first time in what felt like hours when he noticed Vicki in his kitchen, her long pretty hair pulled up into a loose bun, her bare feet slapping the lemon-scented linoleum as she moved about, fixing dinner. “Smells good, sweetheart,” he said bending and kissing the top of her head while she cut up a cucumber to add to the large salad bowl.
“It should, it’s your recipe.” She winked looking back at the roasting pan on his stove.
“If that’s garlic rosemary chicken it’s actually my mom’s recipe,” he said with a coy smile playing across his lips. He lifted the lid and took a huge whiff. Smells so good. Ruxs is going to hate he missed this.
His lover had dropped them off and immediately got in the car with Ro to go back to the precinct. Now that Curtis was safe, they had a raid to finalize. Even though all prep and instruction had already been practiced and memorized, God and Day always liked to be 100 percent certain. He rubbed the back of his neck, the tension knots protruding beneath his skin made him groan. He figured half of his worry and stress was now about Ruxs being involved in that bust without him tomorrow night. Some SWAT member would be paired with his partner, given the responsibility to watch his back. It didn’t sit well with him, but there was no getting around it.
He didn’t want to think about that. Ruxs would be home later, he’d reassure himself then. Green went and washed his hands in the sink, preparing to fix Curtis a plate. “Green, I got this. Why don’t you go rest before dinner, okay?” Vicki took the plate from his hand and set it on the counter. “Besides, I’m pretty sure Curtis wants to rest a bit too. When dinner’s ready, I’ll come get ya.”